The Winter's Angel
by SS Hoshi404
Summary: He was sick of fighting. She was sick of running. So what happens when The Winter Soldier enters the Broken Angel's life?
1. Chapter 1

**SSHoshi Here! I don't own Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Inspired story by Siren's Song by Nemishysteria. Please enjoy.**

Just a few more feet. Then she would be out of range of those damn nets. The once painful shock collar hung heavy around her thin throat, dead weight as weakened wings tried to keep her air born.

"The Doctor wants her back in one piece. Fire!" A voice cried from below as the familiar 'thomp' of the modified grenade launcher rang out. She heard a whistle before banking left, watching as the net deployed lower than her, falling onto the tip of the pine trees. She let out a small cry of surprise as she skimmed her way away from the men on foot, flying away from the only 'home' she had ever known.

Aurora Artemis Callum, or Aurora for short, wasn't much to look at. The typical 'nerd', glasses and clothes that never really fit right with an attitude that didn't suit her 'look'. But the outside world didn't see past her mask and she preffered it that way. Always hiding in the shadows after she ran that cold spring morning, flying as far as her un-natural wings could take her before, as the movies would call it, going to ground. Never allowing her powers to go haywire, sometimes feeling ready to scream when it all became too much.

"Please, just listen to me. Something terrible is going to happen. Just like in New York." Aurora cried into the handset of the phone booth she was using, pulling the oversized hoodie low over her face, slamming the phone up when the police officer asked for her name. For the past week, she had been trying to get someone to listen to her about her visions of a terrible accident about to occur in her home town. She had called Washington DC home since she had escaped, always keeping her head low and never allowing the hoards of people in rush hour to crush too close. She lifted the small backpack up and darted out into the crowds, trying to avoid most cameras, something she had done since she was young. She only had one place in mind, one truly peaceful destination she wanted to visit before getting home and locking down again for the night.

'He might be here again today. I'm sure he would be.' Her mind raced as she entered the Captain America portian of the Smithsonian. She had seen Captain Rogers a few times before, hiding in the crowds and reading about himself, or his men she had never asked, until the museum closed. Something about him drew her, maybe because he was so injured in her visions and she wanted to help him, no, needed to help him. She took up her regular seat in front of the main display cabinet and took out her sketch book and pencil, as she had done since the visions started.

An hour later

'Where is he? If I stay here longer, they will find me again.' She felt her wings ruffle slightly in fear, her hand trembling over the drawing of Captain Roger's friend, James Buchanan Barnes, or Bucky, trying to hold onto the faint trace she had of his energy. But it was gone, her sketch only half complete and missing the details that made her drawings unique.

"I remember when he used to smile like that." A voice from above her spoke gently, the sound so hollow with painful memory. Aurora looked up and nodded, her pale teal eyes watching Steve Rogers stood staring at her image before sitting down next to her.

"He was a brave man. He was a credit to his nation." She answered, trying to break the ice. Steve just laughed sadly and shook his head, looking at the enlarged picture behind the display case.

"He was more than just a soldier. Sorry, I didn't mean to seem rude." Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck before looking at her book and her.

"Aurora." She smiled slightly, holding her hand out to him. Steve shook it gently and nodded.

"You seem to be here everyday. Don't you get bored? Or is drawing the nation's Captain really that fascinating?" Steve said, making Aurora shrug.

"That is not what I draw, Captain. I draw who I see behind the medals and the history. The men, not the legends. I have done it since leaving school. Pays the bills."She stated simply, not allowing herself to become lax. Where the Captain went, the Widow was never far away. Steve just nodded and kept looking at her drawing, his mind far away, trapped in memory.

"Here, I have been meaning to give you these, Mr Barnes has been my muse for the past week. I thought they might mean more to you than anyone else, Mr Rogers." Aurora said, tearing the page out and pulling other out from her bag, neatly held together by a single paper clip.

"Bucky always pulled the ladies." Steve mumbled, before the beginning of Star Spangled Banner played and he pulled out his phone.

"I have to go." "I was an honour to meet you, Captain Rogers." Aurora smiled, watching as Steve left with a curt nod. She packed away her book and walked out a few minutes after him, noting the darkening sky and making her way back to her two bedroom townhouse. Just as she locked the door behind her, her vision swam and she was plunged into another possible future, a sickness in her gut telling her this would be tomorrow. She felt terror replace sickness as a man with a metal arm pin Rogers under him, as Rogers pleaded for him to remember. And she knew, this man, this machine, was Bucky. The vision blurred but not before she watched Bucky pull a almost dead looking Rogers from the river. Aurora gasped for air as she came back to her senses, before springing into action and stockpiling a week's worth of supplies into the re-enforced basement of her townhouse. She had done the best she could before the danger was upon the innocent Washington city but no one had listened. So she hid, locked away and safe from the destruction of her city.

A week after the Fall of SHIELD

'So much destruction. So much trauma… Have to escape!' Her mind screamed as she raced through the rain towards the Smithsonian. She had come everyday, hoping that her fears of the death of Steve Rogers were just in her head. Her area's TV cable had been destroyed so there had been no nightly news and with her sensitivity, she was scared. She made it inside without too much water on her as she straightened her leather jacket and ran a hand over her pale blonde hair.

'Where is he? He can't be…' Her mind choked before she walked straight into something, something hard. She gasped in pain as she bounced and fell backwards, trying not to whimper in pain as the fine bones in her wings jostled against each other. She looked up to the source of her misjudgement and found a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at her.

"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't see you." She scrambled to her feet, brushing her hair back behind her ear before looking back up at the imposing figure. Something about his eyes seemed familiar.

"Do not worry. It fine." The figure ground out, something darkening behind the icy glare before he turned and made to walk away. But a silver glint off the gap between his glove and sleeve had her trying to follow him. This was Bucky! The man from her visions. She had to see what he was still doing here instead of running as he was now the most wanted man in all America.

'Stay close but not too close, Aurora.' She reminded herself, following Bucky around the display before watching as he sat staring like she had at the main display of all the uniforms, including the returned original Captain America. It was close to closing when he had decided to get up and leave, so she did as well. Aurora was tailing behind a few good feet before a quick check of her phone had her guard down long enough for this new Bucky to have her slammed up against the side of a toilet block, hidden from view.

"Why are you following me? Answer me!" His voice demanded as he pushed her harder against the wall, making her gasp in agony as her wings threatened to break.

"Please… my wings… you are hurting me…" She sobbed, clawing at the forearm pressed against her throat, kicking her feet slightly, her toes barely skimming the ground. Bucky growled and pressed harder before Aurora felt the main bones in her left wing snap and she choked out a scream. Something snapped in those cold eyes and he dropped her, backing away in almost horror, but more confusion than anything.

"My wing… you… you broke my wing…" Aurora sobbed, curling over slightly as if to try and dull the pain that tore along her spine. She flinched when a hand brushed her hair, whimpering in pain before lifting her head. Bucky stared down at her, his eyes confused and hurt, and something in her made her reach for him.

"Please… don't hurt me… I… I know who you are… and I'm scared…" She sobbed, watching Bucky take another step back before running away. Aurora cried out and struggled to stand, clutching under her chest to ease her breathing before trying to walk after the now long gone Bucky.

"Miss Aurora! Are you okay?" A voice asked, making her turn and stare as the Captain America raced over, his shield glinting in the fading sunlight.

"He… He broke my wing… Help me… I need to get home…" She gasped in pain, before Steve held out his arm and she clutched onto it, thankful that the streets were quiet and almost deserted as they made their way back to her home.

At Aurora's Home

"Can I help? You are in a lot of pain, Miss. We need to take you to the hospital." "No! No hospitals. Hospitals have doctors and doctors are evil!" Aurora cried, clutching at Steve's suit, her eyes pleading and scared.

"Then how can we treat this pain? You clearly need medical help." Steve stated, as Aurora opened the top drawer of her kitchen and pulled out four medium sized pieces of wood and bandages of all shapes and thickness.

"I have to trust you with my biggest secret, Captain Rogers. Please… Then you will know why I refuse the hospital." Aurora pleaded, waiting for him to understand. Steve nodded, tightening his grip on his shield slightly before Aurora tugged at the faint and barely visible fishing wire that held the back of her shirt closed, opening two slits and allowing her white and grey patterned wings to fall out. She heard Steve inhale before looking up at him, pleading for help.

"Please. I cannot be found out. They will find me." She sobbed, the pain in her badly broken left wing a dull throb that was starting to grow again. She sat down with her back to Steve and waited.

"Are you sure this… battlezone medicine will work?" Steve asked, stepping closer to her, reaching for the wings she had kept so well hidden. Aurora nodded and held the injured wing out as far as she could, biting into the sleeve of her jacket before clenching her hands into fists.

"It will hurt." Steve said, gripping the wing as gently as he could before resetting the lower half in a quick movement, making her scream slightly as he strapped it tightly, making sure it was rigid for proper healing. He was about to move to the upper half before a whimper had him looking at Aurora. She had her eyes closed tightly but tears had still slipped past, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh of her arm, not drawing blood but still deep.

"I can stop if you want." He muttered, feeling guilty for causing her the pain. Aurora snapped her eyes open and glared at him.

"I cannot reset them on my own, asshole. Now shut your American trap and fix 'em." She snapped, her flawless American accent fading to blend with her natural French Canadian. Steve glared back slightly but reached for the last splint as she turned back and growled, waiting for the pain.

"We will be talking after this, Miss Aurora. You lied to me." Steve ground out as he reset the finer upper bone and tried not to let his harsh voice fade when she cried out and sobbed slightly. Aurora pulled her wings as tight as she could against her and turned to face him, her pale eyes seeming to glow.

"Yes, it seems we have to, Captain." She stated, crossing her legs and her arms across her chest. Steve stood tall and looked down at the now fiery woman, seeing into the hardened core of her eyes and soul. She was not as innocent as he once thought.

**Author Note:**

**Hey All! I thought I'd give a Captain America story a try. Break away from my usual Saint Seiya and dip into Action films. Don't worry, I'll give more details about Aurora in later chapters. Read and Review! Please? For the Chibi Bucky!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Keep calm and read Stucky!**

"So exactly what are you? Were you born this way?" Steve asked, his blue eyes hard and his spine stiff. He watched Aurora smirk and just watch him.

"I am what you would call a Mutant. Or for use of a common term between us, Mr Rogers, an experiment. I was born like this, in Canada. To a mother who never saw me as anything more than part of her power game. Something to be broken and molded however she pleased." Aurora cringed at the memory of the woman who had brought her into this world.

"So those have been a part of you since birth?" Steve said, gesturing to her wings, making her smile gently and extend the right one to wrap around her front so she could stroke the still soft feathers.

"Yes, they have been. And I treasure them, even if they have caused so many problems." Aurora sighed, letting the wing go and tucking it back behind her.

"Problems?" Steve coaxed, needing to know if she was a threat to everything. Aurora looked up at him, her eyes sad and lost.

"I cannot say, they still hurt after so long." Aurora whispered, feeling the darkness of her early years trying to bring her back into a state of eternal fear. Steve nodded and just watched her, as she curled up slightly and tried to control her breathing.

"We need to leave, Miss Aurora. This home is no longer safe if you are by yourself." Steve said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Aurora rubbed at her eyes slowly and nodded, standing up and going to pack her merger belongings. Steve waited patiently near the door, watching as she walked out with a medium sized suitcase and a backpack.

"Is that everything?" He said, a bit stunned at what little she had. Aurora nodded, looking at the bags and pulling her jacket on.

"Everything else can be replaced. It was never really home anyway." Aurora said, not lifting her head as she walked past Steve and outside, stopping dead when she saw the red haired woman leaning against a jet black SUV.

"Black Widow." Aurora stated simply, making the woman smirk before she opened the car door. Aurora slid along the leather and settled herself in the plush rear seats, taking care not to damage her wings further.

"Take her back to my place, I need to find him." Steve said, hoping onto a Harley and driving off, leaving Aurora alone with the female assassin.

"I know you, Miss Callum. Or shall I call you by your name I knew you by? Broken Angel." Natasha spoke as she sat in the driver's seat and started the car. Aurora flinched and curled into a ball.

"I am no longer that… thing they wanted me to be, Agent Romanoff. I am just Aurora now. Broken Angel died in the frozen tundra. And you know she did." Aurora snarled, her soul aching at the memory of that day. There was so much blood and the fiery red head who held the smoking gun.

"Can we not start over, Miss Callum. We both became reborn that day." Natasha sighed, looking back at Aurora through the rear view mirror. Aurora curled up into a tighter ball and tried to push the darkness back again.

"I'd like to try. After I confronted Him, I realised it's better to have backup." Aurora mumbled, lifting her head to catch the small but warm smile that curled Natasha's lips. They drove in silence to Stark tower, pulling into the underground carpark. Aurora noticed Steve was leaning against his Harley and her heart clenched at the sad aura he seemed to emit.

"Come, everyone will want to meet you, Aurora." Natasha nodded, getting out of the car as Steve stood and opened the door, lifting her bag out.

"Nat's right. And I think Sam will want to brag about his robot wings." Steve tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Aurora nodded and followed them to the elevator and up to the higher levels, past the infamous 'A' that had become unquestionably the mark of the Avengers.

"Your room is across from mine at the end of the hallway. I'll go put your stuff on the bed. Try not to let them scare you." Steve shrugged, as the doors opened and four heads turned from the main screen. Aurora felt as if she had just walked into a schoolyard. Already judging her without knowing her because she was new and had wings.

"Well, I know Nat said I would have a run for my money but come on, Steve, an actual Angel? I thought I was the only one who was born to have wings instead of jets." Sam whined, making Nat giggle softly and Aurora to hide behind Steve a bit.

"Play nice. She isn't used to this." Steve commented back, nodding to Aurora, who stared up at him and let his shirt go. Steve smiled down at her before turning to go down the hall.

"So, who are you exactly? Nat told us to expect some company but as always, she was vague on the details." Tony Stark said, looking her up and down, more than likely taking in the plain outfit but his eyes became glued to her wings, making her try and pull them tighter behind her, wincing as she strained the now healing bones.

"Aurora Artemis Callum. Or just Aurora is fine." Aurora stammered, flinching as Tony smirked, his eyes filling with an emotion she only knew as danger.

"Where are you from? I hear a slight accent in your voice." Clint, or Hawkeye, mumbled past the edge of his coffee mug. Aurora froze, her right hand clenching against the urge to touch her throat. She had worked so hard to mask that damn accent that they had forced on her.

"It is nothing." She muttered, the room growing cold and quiet. Sam looked up from his phone as Clint placed his mug down. Natasha walked into the kitchen but kept her ears tuned to the conversation.

"I do not think it is 'nothing'. An accent tells all about a person, no matter how hard they try to mask it, Miss Callum." Clint warned, making Aurora growl and snap her head to glare at him, her eyes beginning to glow.

"Then I don't think they will mind if you explained to them how you know me then, Hawkeye. Such a failure on your part, that day. Did I fly too fast? Or did your 'owner' decide to pull you?" Aurora snarled, as Steve exited and Clint glared back. Natasha stepped back out of the kitchen as Tony and Sam just watched the show down.

"I had you lined up perfectly. I wouldn't have missed, you know? One shot and those pretty little wings of yours would have been nothing but burnt nubs and you would have never flown again. Exactly what they wanted. But no, that bitch decided to let you fly before calling you back 'home'." Clint snapped, making Aurora jerk as if she had been struck.

"That bitch was the woman who brought me into this wretched world. I did not ask to be like this. And I do not need your hate. You mistake me for a person long dead, Clint." Aurora shuddered, wrapping her arms round her body, trying to keep herself warm as cold memories tried to lead her into darkness.

"The Broken Angel never died, Aurora. You forced her to hide her true nature. Her true power so You could hide from your own Fear." Clint snapped, making Steve glare at him. Tony turned to look at Aurora, who was shaking slightly, her wings jerking at every slight movement.

"Broken Angel? Wasn't that the name of another Hydra agent who was able to escape? The one who the Winter Soldier was supposed to 'hunt' until they realised you were alive, Steve? I'm sure we saw that name in the list." Sam said, tapping his fingers on his knee in thought. Aurora felt her heart stop before beating a tattoo against her chest. She backed up a step, feeling her wings brush something before she snapped. She spun and flared her wings, holding her hand up, her mind not registering the now shocked Steve as her hand crackled with flames that matched the Northern Lights.

"Miss Callum…" "No! I Won't Return To That Hell! You Cannot Make ME!" She screamed, closing her eyes and throwing her body forward, ready to go down fighting. Steve dodged quickly and grabbed her as she failed to spin to counteract his movement. He pulled her tight against him and forced her to the ground, holding her as the glow faded and she clung to his shirt, her body wracked with sobs.

"I am so scared… Don't let them find me… I don't want to be Hydra's toy anymore…" Aurora cried, pleading someone would come save her. Steve just held her and glared at the others.

"Broken Angel was a Hydra supporter, why should we just forgive her, this Aurora, now? She is dangerous." Clint snapped, standing and glaring right back, ignoring Natasha as she took a step towards him.

"Because she is obviously defecting! Look at her, Clint! She can barely stand now! Look at what you have done. Really look at her, Clint. She is not what you remember." "And neither is your oh so precious 'Bucky'." Clint snarled, before he was slammed against the wall, Steve's blue eyes burning bright in rage.

"Do not speak of him as if you know him! He is my friend! Aurora, let's go." Steve snapped, dropping Clint and lifting her off the floor, half dragging her to the elevator, his anger not fading even after the doors had closed.

"I can't walk out with these in full view, Steve. Then they'd find me. Find you." Aurora stammered softly, flinching when Steve turned the cold glare onto her. She squeaked softly in fear when something heavy was drapped across her shoulders, making her look at her shoulders. Steve's jacket swamped her but she pulled it tightly around her shoulders, staying quiet until he opened the passenger door for her.

"Thank you, Steve. I… I hope we find him." She mumbled, curling up int a ball on the seat and buckling in tightly. Steve paused for a moment before closing the door and walking round to the driver's side.

"Why? He broke your wing, he was Hydra's weapon and everyone is afraid of him. Why hope that we find him?" Steve muttered, making Aurora smile and grip his forearm.

"Because he is your friend. And I get this feeling he wants to remember. I just know your Bucky is still in there amongst the white noise." Aurora spoke softly, allowing Steve to calm slightly. He smiled slightly and pulled out of the carpark and onto the streets.

An hour of driving

"Where are we?" Aurora looked around, confused. They hadn't left Washington but she didn't know exactly where in the city they were.

"From the reports Nat unleashed onto the Web, you could track people by their auras. I just want to find him, Aurora. I miss my friend." Steve sounded broken, hurting in a way that made her heart ache.

"Can you get me to the river? Where he pulled you out. That would be the better starting point than anywhere he may have visited." Aurora spoke softly, knowing that this may be her only chance to prove to Steve and the ones who judged her that she was not Hydra. That she was just Aurora Callum. Steve nodded, turning off the main road and onto a dirt track. Aurora snapped her head up and sighed sadly, closing her eyes.

"Stop here. I need the area clear of electrical background." She mumbled, opening the door and stepped out, barely realising she had jumped out of a still moving car. Steve threw the handbrake (A.N.) on and slammed on the brakes, watching the young woman almost float across the uneven terrain. He stepped out of the car, shutting it down and walking after her, his eyes drawn to the glow she seemed to radiate.

"He… He's so confused… I can't track him… Wait, are you sure he pulled you out here?" She asked, turning to face Steve, her teal eyes glowing a sea green.

"Yes, it was him. I may have blacked out but I can remember the arm." Steve shuddered, crouching to brush a blood stained rock, as Aurora sighed.

"Now I see. Yes, he did. And then he ran." She stepped closer to the water and swirled her hand in it. "He is going back to where the Winter was born. But he needs to find something… Something important. But… It's dark, Mama. Where are we? Mama, why aren't you talking? Mama, no… No! It's hurts! Don't!" Aurora cried out and collapsed, her body jerking violently. Steve lifted her gently from the shoreline and away from the water, startled at how fast she had blacked out.

"Aurora. Wake up. They are just memories!" Steve tried to snap her out of it, his voice another in the darkness and pain. Aurora was thrown back to the day they had tried to break her. The day she had lost everything.

*****Flash Back*****

"Aurora, I want you to try really hard today, okay? Someone very important has come to see you." The dark haired woman smiled, straightening the pure white dress and petting down the stray pale gold locks.

"Okay, Mama. I'll make you pwoud." A 10 year old Aurora smiled before skipping into the beam and standing there, her wings held close and tightly to her body like her Mama had taught her.

"Hello, my name is Angel. Hail Hydra." She sung, hoping her Mama was watching her. The shadowy figures seemed to move before a glint had her trying to focus outside the light.

"Test subject name: Angel. Test: Aura and history. Begin." An almost mechanical voice stated as Aurora sat down and waited like her Mama had said to. She looked up expectantly when she heard footsteps but froze when the figure stepped into the light. His metal arm glinted under the light, his mouth and nose covered in a mask and his eyes blacked out, the ice blue of them slightly scary.

"He…hello. Please sit down." She stammered, watching as the man just stood there.

"Winter, you are ordered to sit as she requests. And stay still unless ordered." The mechanical voice snapped, as the man nodded and sat, his back rigid. Aurora gulped and closed her eyes, flaring her wings and bowing her head.

"Codename: Winter Soldier. Not much else can be seen. He… No… No! Just a bit further! No! STEVE!" Aurora screamed, her body jerking as her now glowing eyes filled with tears. She curled up in a ball, whimpering as the man just stared at her.

"Annabella, get that… thing out of the Soldier's sight. She will ruin our work." The voice snapped as arms grabbed her and dragged her away.

"No! He can be saved! No! Let Me Help Him!" She screamed, struggling against the guards, her eyes pleading with the man who was just staring at her.

"Angel. Hush. You have caused enough problems today. I am so ashamed." Annabella spoke, her voice tinted with disgust. Aurora sobbed, feeling the sting of a needle in the side of her neck.

"But Mama, you love me. Mama, I'm sorry. Please. Mama!"

*****End Flashback*****

"Mama!" Aurora bolted upright, looking around before breaking down into heaving sobs. She flinched and rounded on someone when a warm hand touched her shoulder. Steve smiled slightly and held his arms out.

"I… I knew him… His mind… He screamed…" Aurora sobbed as she buried into his chest and just sobbed, letting years of pain and loss out. Steve wrapped his arms round her gently, just letting her find the solace she had needed.

A few minutes later

"I'm sorry, it's just… 20 years of torture and pain. I wanted to be just Angel again… Not the Broken Angel they called me after that day. Even the woman who gave me this life stopped caring for me and moved on. And the continuous shut downs. I'm not like him, Steve, I never had those memories cleared, nothing to save me the horrors of what I did. He had the super soldier serum and all I got was a portion those bastards decided I needed! To keep me alive! As a weapon… That's how I knew Natasha and you, Steve. I was tasked to find both of you. I was the one who told them where Bucky would be, when you would be attacking the train. And the one who explained where Natasha would be." Aurora sobbed, shaking like a leaf in Steve's arms.

"So you defected the first chance you got? You left Hydra and began again?" Steve asked, trying to understand what she had been through.

"I tried so hard to get in contact with someone about New York. And the Hellicarriers. But if I had told them who I was, they would have found me. Steve, Captain Rodgers, I didn't want to do what they made me do. I just… I just wanted to see her smile at me like she used too…" Aurora sniffled, curling up into a ball as Steve rubbed her shoulder.

"It's okay, Aurora. We will figure this out. I just want you to help me find Bucky. To help him stop screaming. I trust you and I will make sure the others won't hurt you because of the need to feel a mother's love again. I know what it's like." Steve spoke gently, as Aurora looked up at him and smiled weakly past her red teary eyes.

"He is already gone but he is on his way back. He found the Winter but now he is more confused. He remembers the pain, that must have been why I broke." Aurora mumbled, as Steve helped her up and back to the SUV.

"How about we call it a day, Aurora? You have done your best." Steve smiled, buckling her in and going to the driver's side. Aurora nodded and let him take her back to the Avengers Tower. She couldn't feel much of her body so getting out of the SUV was a big issue until Steve tucked his jacket round her wings and lifted her up, carrying her up to his floor, thankful the only one there was Natasha, who just opened the doors for Steve. He placed her down on her bed and pulled the covers back over her, smiling when she shyly buried under the covers and closed her eyes.

Steve's POV

"She can't hide forever, Steve. She is so broken. How could she help find him?" Natasha spoke as she poured a cup of coffee for herself. I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms, still seeing Aurora crying and so distraught, it broke something within. How could they turn her into that? Into someone so lost within themselves they didn't know light from dark.

"I know, but she is the only link to Bucky. And she may come in handy as an unofficial Avenger. She just needs time." I said, looking at the tiled floor and smiling sadly, my mind on Bucky and how he could possibly be coping when my world had fallen apart and had begun to rebuild. My best friend was alive, I had a way of finding him without running around like a mad man but the only person who could help was a broken young woman who had once been a Hydra Agent.

"Well, if you trust her, then so do I. It's late, I'm off to bed." Natasha smiled, petting my upper arm as she left to go back down to the floor she and Clint shared.

**Hey guys, SS Hoshi here. No reviews yet but I'm still going to write, even if I get none. I am giving Aurora a bit of backstory and Super Soldier Serum-ness to make her life more mysterious. Why does she black out? Why are her wings grey and white? All shall be revealed in due time, til then, SS Hoshi out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Reviews anyone? So many dust bunnies surrounding this story**

Aurora woke with the dawn, hearing soft footsteps outside her door. She stood slowly, keeping her breathing level as she walked to her door and silently clicked it open. Steve stood, sipping at a mug of something warm, dressed in workout gear and looking out the wide windows.

"Steve?" She whispered, watching with scared eyes when he looked at her and sent a shy smile back to her. She stepped out, her eyes darting around before she straightened and waited.

"Sorry if I woke you. It's routine for me." Steve passed her a mug of something warm and she took it shyly. Steve placed his own mug in the dishwasher before heading for the door.

"I'll be back soon after my run. Sam might come to hang out after it, just a warning. I know it's hard for you to trust us." Steve explained, looking back at Aurora as she sipped the hot chocolate he had made for her, marshmallows and all.

"No, Sam's a good guy. His aura" A soft giggle that had Steve staring in wonder at her sudden change. "His aura smiles, like him. It hurts from the death of his friend and what he had to go through but his aura smiles because of the life he lives. I like him." Aurora smiled brightly, before shyly sipping at the warm drink as Steve smiled back.

"Okay, I'll let him know. Just no Clint right?" "Yeah. No Hawkeye." Aurora nodded as Steve left, leaving her in the apartment alone. She finished her own mug before heading to collect her drawing equipment, wanting to pass her time in the peace and quiet in her favourite past time and her eventual solace.

An hour later

"Aurora, we hope you don't mind if we brought… Ummm, when did you do this?" Steve asked, looking around the living room, balls of paper littering the hardwood floor, surrounding the young woman who had changed into a knee length navy blue dress with her wings relaxed against her back. Her head turned to face him, her eyes a glowing teal before she shook her head and stood.

"Welcome home, sorry about the mess. I couldn't get the background right. And then I couldn't get his eyes right." She greeted, looking down at her two final drawings that she had placed on the coffee table. Steve entered with Sam and a blonde haired woman, who now that Aurora looked at her under the morning light, had red hints in her hair amongst the blonde.

"What were you drawing?" The woman asked, stepping closer, making Aurora flinch and quickly pull the discarded jacket around her shoulders and hide the drawings in her book.

"Nothing. I… I have to go… go back and have a shower. Yeah." Aurora stammered, the blue green eyes of the woman watching her almost sadly as she scurried past, pulling away as Steve tried to stop her and rush back into the room she was borrowing.

"Steve, you didn't mention the wings." Pepper snapped, casting her gaze over the mess and lifting a less crumpled piece, smoothing it out and looking at the pencil drawing. The male was smiling, his thin frame almost glowing as he stared up at the viewer. Pepper smiled, the happy glow almost given life upon the page.

"She isn't ready for everyone to know yet, Ms Potts. She is just fragile." Steve explained, cleaning up the crushed papers. Pepper lifted another that seemed different to the others, making Sam walk over to look over her forearm.

"Hey, Steve. Was this the Docks you always keep talking about?" Sam asked, making Steve freeze and turn to them. Pepper turned the page around, letting Steve look at the image of two shadowed figures, one smaller than the other, walking towards a large building with ships steaming past.

"Yeah, Bucky and I used to work there. Well, whenever I wasn't sick, I worked. But that place is long gone, replaced by expensive housing and river smells." Steve said, placing the papers in the bin while Pepper and Sam looked at the two drawings.

"So this could be you? This skinny ass kid." Sam quipped, as Steve looked over again, startled. Pepper giggled softly at the wide eyed Captain before turning the other page around. Steve walked over to them and took the page gently, his eyes clouding in memory.

"I only smiled like this a few times. From what I can remember. And always when I was with Bucky. How could she draw this? There was never any cameras for photos this simple." Steve spoke, his mind locked in the past as he looked up. Pepper was about to speak until soft footsteps entered the room.

"Another way they used to find out information. I drew things I saw. You don't smile the same, Steve. What was he to you to make you smile even though you were so sick that day? Flu right? The ones that can't really be fixed unless you are in hospital?" Aurora asked, her eyes looking at the floor. Steve sighed and nodded.

"I thought so. Your aura was weak, weaker than Bucky's now. About a month later, you were chosen to be tested with the Super Soldier serum, right?" Aurora asked, walking out and touching his forearm.

"Yes, it was a lean week. Bucky had taken an extra shift that week to pay for my medicine and I kept forcing him to wear a hankerchief over his mouth so he wouldn't get sick. But we made it through. A week after that, he shipped out." Steve said, his mind replaying the scene of watching his best friend get shipped off to war, far from home.

"Then we have to find him. I will not stand by and see a light die within your eyes because he isn't here." Aurora quipped, squeezing Steve's forearm as best she could, considering the muscle under the skin, before someone touched her shoulder gentle.

"Miss Callum, I don't think leaving Stark Tower is the best idea at the moment. Tony wants you to stay in a monitored location until Hydra is stopped." Pepper explained, making Aurora flinch and pull away.

"I am not their plaything anymore. And neither is The Winter One. I fought so hard to break free and to try and help him that day. I was punished for it, but I still fought. And Steve needs my help. Who else can find an Agent gone rogue?" Aurora snapped, flexing her wings, before a cough had them looking towards the elevator. Tony stood leaning against the wall, his right hand holding a flat almost glass like tablet with holograms of data maps.

"Well, I can, Miss Broken. Has it ever occurred to you that I have a score to settle with the Winter Soldier?" Tony said darkly, his brown eyes almost glowing from the holograms. Aurora quivered slightly before biting the inside of her cheek and stepping closer to the now infuriating man.

"I know exactly what he did to your family, Mr Stark. I know because I can see it. Everything you don't let others see. Like the Captain America bear your father bought you the day before he died. You treasured that toy didn't you?" She stepped closer, her eyes glowing slightly. "Was it because you loved the comics or because it was one of the few gifts your father bought you? I bet you still have that toy, hidden, somewhere only you can find it to remember why you hate Steve's Bucky so much. Why you loathe the fact that that man still lives while your parents are dead." Aurora snarled, knowing she was tempting fate but not able to stop herself. But what she didn't expect was the back hand that had her smacking into the back of the couch, coughing when the wind was knocked out of her. She barely had time to struggle to right herlsef before a shoe clamped down on her left wing, pinning her to the floor, pressure building on the fine bone that had just healed. Aurora heard someone try and get Tony's attention but the fear of breaking clouded her view.

"Do. Not. Dare. You know nothing about me. Nothing about my suffering. Broken Angel, a weak member of Hydra. Brainwashed to believe that she could get her mother back by doing what they ordered. Your mother never loved you after that day and you know it. And you want to know something? I wouldn't want to love or even look at a failure like you." Tony growled, the pressure he was placing on her wing growing as he spoke. Aurora felt something snap and her vision became tainted with red.

"Two words, Stark. Hail HYDRA!" She screamed, flipping over and kicking him in the gut before launching herself out the window and willing her wings to work, to escape. She heard a voice call her name but she didn't look back, couldn't look back. Not after that.

Stark Tower

"What the fuck, Tony?!" Pepper snapped, rounding on the man she called her boyfriend, who just coughed and sat slumped against the wall Aurora had kicked him into.

"She's one of them. You can't tell me… she has changed…" Tony coughed, his brown eyes glaring at no one in particular. Steve looked back at the man who had given them permission to let her live here, his blue eyes stressed.

"She has. She just got scared…" "SCARED?! You call that scared?! She wasn't scared, she had reverted back. Like some programming had kicked in, literally!" Tony bellowed, standing and stalking over to Steve, who glared back.

"I do call it scared. You used the name she was trying to change. She is trying to learn how to be Aurora not this Broken Angel that Hydra called her. And then to bring the memory of her mother into it, that's low Tony, even for you." Steve snapped, making Tony laugh dryly.

"No, she mocked me. Mocked my parents and the day that… that weapon destroyed my life. And then to scream that phrase at me, why are you trying to protect her? We can find your 'friend' without her. And when we do, I am going to give that thing a piece of my mind." Tony snarled, turning and walking back to the elevator. Steve glared after him before punching the wall, sending his fist completely through it.

"I am protecting her because she cannot protect herself" Tony scoffed. "Aurora has been tortured her whole life. The first real trust she had of people and you destroy it without even thinking of how she felt. What if she had been Pepper?! If Pepper had suffered and when she finally opened up and let you back in, you called her the one thing she didn't ever want to hear you say. A monster. A killer. A pitiful creature who doesn't deserve to live or be loved. How do you think Pepper would have felt if you had cast her aside because of the serum?" Steve asked, watching as Tony's eyes went dark and clouded. Pepper walked over to Steve, looking back at Tony.

"She is so tiny, Tony. She is scared. She is still caught in the change between child and adult. She trusted us, trusted Steve to keep her safe. To show her that Hydra couldn't change who she was. Tony, you hurt a lost, orphaned girl who was crying out for help long before we heard her." Pepper spoke softly, watching the stiff muscles in his back relax slightly.

"It makes no difference. My parents died because of the Winter Soldier and there she was defending him. As if he hadn't done it, as if my parents meant nothing." "And you did the same back. She held onto hope, in her 20 years of pain and anguish. Held onto the hope that if she did well enough, she may feel her mother's love. Tony, you did the same with your father. You strived to make him proud. Try to understand that you and her fought for the same thing. Love, from a parent you loved so much it hurt, even when they never even showed it back." Pepper walked over to him, wrapping her arms round him gently. Tony held back a shuddering sob, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"I tried so hard. I just wanted to hear him acknowledge me. Just once." "And Aurora wanted the same. To be praised. To feel something back. Please, Tony, she is so fragile. She doesn't deserve this." Pepper soothed, running a hand over Tony's arm. Tony nodded and turned, hugging Pepper tightly before looking at Steve.

"Let's go find them both, Cap. And never speak of this to anyone." Tony stated, as Steve nodded and walked past, Sam launching out the window with his wings, ready to help.

On Top of the Brooklyn Bridge

"You made a big mistake, Aurora. Now they will hunt you down like him. Like some crazed animal needing to be put down." She sobbed, cocooned in her wings, hidden from the world as she cried, only seen by the birds that had made their nests on top of the bridge.

"I don't think you need to be put down, Aurora. Just taught to trust normal people again." A voice said, making her snap out of her ball, calling upon her flames. Sam looked down at her from his steady hover. Aurora stood, walking over to where he was and reaching out shyly.

"Wings? Mechanical ones?" She whispered as a hand took her outstretched one, making her yank away and call her fire again, her eyes glowing in warning.

"Sorry, just need to get you down so we can talk." Sam shrugged, giving the wings a quick flap before turning and dropping like a stone. Aurora leaned over the edge to watch as he landed near a bright red car and two figures. Aurora stepped back as he flew back up and landed, the wings folding away into a metal backpack.

"It's just going to be you and me, okay? No Tony, No Steve. Just Sam, okay? I just want you to trust me enough not to hurt you. Steve's worried about you." Sam explained, sitting down and taking the wings off and pushing them away, leaving himself unarmed. Aurora blinked before sitting down in front of him and folding her own wings away.

"He shouldn't. I am fine." She muttered, barely looking at Sam, ignoring the cries of the sea birds and the rush of the city.

"Of course, but he is still worried. You are quite scary when you want to be, Aurora. But then again, Steve is a big baby when it comes to women. Always afraid to speak and such." Sam joked, making Aurora giggle slightly. Sam smiled warmly before inching closer, her head snapping up and her eyes panicked.

"Easy, I was having trouble hearing you." Sam spoke softly, allowing her the chance to calm down before continuing.

"You didn't mean the 'hail hydra' thing, did you? It was just a scared response wasn't it?" Sam asked, watching as she nodded and curled into a ball, hiding her face behind her hair.

"I… I just wanted him to stop. He… He was so mean, like Hawkeye. Why do they hate me? I haven't done anything wrong. I… I just wanted to help." She burst into tears again, making Sam wish he could handle emotional unstable women but he shuffled forward and brushed her head slightly.

"I know, and so does Steve. Even Pepper and Natasha are coming around. But, Aurora, screaming things like that isn't how you help. Nor is speaking to Tony in such a voice. He's a bit of a brut and arrogant. But he is smart and he keeps the team on their toes. But, Aurora, when he learns to trust, he would defend his friends to the death. He even hated Steve for a while there." Sam soothed, waiting and listening as the crying ebbed and she looked up at him through her hair.

"How about we take it one step at a time? Okay? We lock everyone out until you feel ready to let them in. We do things your way, allow you to settle and rest. You are tired right? Tired of being alone and running when you sense danger?" A shy nod was his answer as Aurora watched him.

"Why don't we let Steve know and get the apartment fixed up? It's as much your home as ours now. I trust you, Aurora, you seem to know how to hold your own and make Steve happy. I want you to trust me like you do Steve, okay? Know that I won't hurt you or use any other name but your true name. I won't allow them to hurt you, Aurora, I see in you a lost young woman trying to understand why the world fears her because of her need to feel safe and loved by the one person she knew in her heart was supposed to. Let's go home, Aurora. And have some of Steve's cooking." Sam winked cheekily and stood, holding his hand out to her. Aurora took it shyly, allowing him to help her up. She watched him collect his wing pack and extend them, waiting for her to do the same. She jumped off the edge of the bridge before rising above the clouds so she wouldn't be seen, Sam a quiet guard as they made their way back, only reporting to Steve he was taking her home, broken window or not.

Steve and Tony

"What is he doing? How long does it take to convince a girl to go home?" Tony groaned, bored of waiting. Steve bit back a growl of frustration before watching as Aurora dropped from the pylon, followed by Sam and they flew into the clouds before Sam's voice came over the radio saying he was taking her home and that she had requested spaghetti for dinner.

"I'll send someone to fix that window tomorrow, it seems the little bird has returned to the nest." Tony remarked, getting back into the racing red Ferrari, waiting for Steve to sit down in the passenger seat before pulling away, guided by 2 black SUVs.

"She's a bird now?" Steve asked, barely hearing himself over the rush of the wind and the engine. Tony just smirked and changed lanes, sending Steve smacking back into his seat.

"Yes, I will allow her to stay in my building but she has to behave from now on, Cap. No more outbursts." Tony stated, looking quickly over at Steve before looking back at the road. Steve nodded stiffly before trying to watch the world fly by, giving up as he started to become dizzy. Tony wasn't a very careful driver, swerving in and out of lanes and smoking the tyres round the turns, something Steve still wasn't used to. Who owned cars that could go above 50 miles an hour? The idea baffled him still, even though he owned bikes that could do twice that now. This world still seemed too far ahead, too fast for him to catch up and keep up.

"Hey, wake up, Capsicle." Tony's voice broke him off his train of thought and made him realise they were back at Stark Tower.

"Sorry, tuned out for a minute there." Steve smiled shyly, getting out of the bright car and heading for the elevator. Tony followed him, leaning quietly against the left hand side of the elevator, Steve leaning against the right, watching the numbers change as they rose.

"Still no music?" Steve jabbed, trying to break the silence that reminded him of the S.H.I.E.L.D. elevator and the modified cattle prods.

"Nah, nothing feels right. The old stuff is… well stuffy. And modern music just doesn't suit the environment." Tony said, stepping off the elevator as it came to a halt and the doors opened. Steve stepped out after him and reached for the door.

"I am sorry to interrupt, Sir, but Mr Wilson has requested me to lock out all but Steve, Natasha, Pepper and himself." Jarvis spoke up, as Steve heard the door click open.

"I see I am being locked out of my property." Tony scowled, making Steve shrug shyly.

"Only for now, Tony. Just hack it out okay?" Steve reassured, stepping inside, hearing the door shut and lock behind him. Aurora and Sam were playing Jenga, Aurora focusing on removing one of the blocks, her eyes glowing.

"Never verse her in Cards, you can't call her bluff." Sam commented as the block slid away and was placed on top. Aurora smiled brightly at Steve before watching as Sam planned his next move. Steve walked towards the kitchen, planning on grabbing a cold drink when he noticed that the broken window had fixed itself.

"Care to explain?" He asked, looking back at the pair, watching as Aurora flinched physically and shot him a shy smile.

"Can we call it an 'accidental discovery of new powers'? I kinda got annoyed at myself…" "Yeah, like angry angry and then she blasted the window with the fire and it sort of re formed, like watching the shatter but reversed." Sam poked Aurora's upper arm as her ears tinted red. Steve just chuckled and nodded.

"Okay, just make sure to undo that before the window repair guys come." Steve warned, making Aurora nod and smile brightly.

"Yes Sir. Now about this promised Spaghetti…"

**SSHoshi here again! Okay, forgot to explain in the last chapter that the American 'Emergency Brake' is known as a Hand Brake down here in Aussie Land. I found out the difficult way at work when a colleague asked me to find a part number for a Jeep one. Who knew that hand brakes could be electronic? My car has a CABLE system, so outdated DX. SSHoshi Out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gah! Writer's Block With Words!**

It was almost a week after Aurora returned to the Tower and she had already changed how Steve's life was. She was first up, already cooking breakfast for him and Sam so they would have a filling meal after their run. She always greeted them with a smile and her latest discovery.

"So I figured out how to whisk the eggs this morning, so I thought instead of an omelette, we could have scrambled eggs with bacon." Aurora smiled brightly, as the two soldier sat down, still sweaty from their run. She already had a glass of orange juice for Sam ready, learning that Sam pushed himself to try and keep up with Steve, causing the two to laugh everytime.

"So how many laps did he catch up by this time?" She asked Steve, watching as Sam sculled the orange juice.

"Two. I slowed down though. Poor thing couldn't keep up." Steve replied, making Sam growl into his glass as Aurora placed their food down. Steve looked over at her own empty place setting and his eyebrow furrowed.

"Still not going to join us today?" Sam gasped, refilling his glass. Aurora just smiled the same blank eyed smile before shrugging.

"I ate while you were out." Steve echoed her, making Sam chuckle and dig into his breakfast. Aurora giggled softly before her eyes flicked to the door and hardened.

"Sirs and Miss Aurora, Tony is requesting some help down in the lobby. And it is urgent." Jarvis stated, as a heavy knock came to the front door. Steve stood and moved towards it. Aurora bolted upright and raced past him, ripping it open and pushing past Tony, her wings pressed tightly to her singlet clad back.

"Why did you delay telling us? He is hurt!" Aurora snapped, rapidly pressing the elevator button. Sam stood and walked towards them as Tony huffed and crossed his arms, his body on edge.

"Well since you decided to disconnect communications between this floor and the others when those two return from running, this is your own fault, Broken." Tony snapped back, his attitude on full show. Aurora smirked darkly, her spine stiff.

"Sorry for wanting them to be able to enjoy their breakfast. Now get this stupid machine up here and let's go!" She cried, her wings flexing slightly, her eyes almost wild. Steve placed a calm hand on her forearm, the only place she never seemed to flinch from when he gently squeezed to wake her.

"Aurora, we have to be still. Sam, help me out here. She isn't responding like normal." "This has happened more than once?" Tony snapped, shocked that they had a back up plan for this wild girl. Sam brushed past him and squeezed Aurora's other forearm.

"What do you see, Birdie? It's okay, it's Sam and Steve. It will be okay, we can help." Sam gently coaxed, watching as her eyes already started to become less wild, her sense of protection overriding the panic.

"Pain. Ache. Stevie. There's stitches that cannot heal. Too tired. Stevie." Aurora shook her head and stared up at Steve. "He's home. And he needs us." She demanded, kicking at the metal doors, taking her frutrasion out on them for not holding onto the connection.

"And we will get there. Just breathe, remember Birdie, just breathe now." Sam coaxed, as Steve and Tony stayed silent. Aurora allowed her mind to shut down and just breathed, barely noticing when the door opened and Sam lead her into the elevator and made room for Tony and Steve.

"There's our Birdie. Now, could you see anything else?" Sam asked, as she woke from her meditation, blinking at the sudden daylight in the glass box.

"No, he wasn't thinking straight. Just screaming again. Always Stevie or just pain. I can't connect properly from this distance." Aurora said, leaning back against the glass, hissing when the glass pressed cold and yet hot to her wings. Sam pulled her forward, knowing it was Hydra conditioning. Pain cleared her head yet it was Hydra that made her think that way.

"Basement. Banner is there monitoring him. He's pretty messed up this time, Cap." Tony explained, as they stepped off the elevator and out into the lobby. Sam kept Aurora in front of him, watching as Steve blocked her other side, keeping her from the wandering eyes.

"And he is pacing like a beast caged." Aurora snapped weakly, not in the mood for fighting anymore. Sam sent Steve a worried look, knowing she was shutting down again. Steve nodded stiffly and lead them to the next elevator. Aurora pulled away from Sam and flexed her wings, not comfortable with how she was feeling.

"I'm shutting down again, aren't I?" She breathed, looking down at her hands as they trembled.

"We will get you out for a fly later today, I promise Birdie. We just need you to help keep Bucky safe." Steve said, placing a hand on hers, cupping them gently. Aurora smiled slightly and lifted her head, squaring her shoulders.

"Okay, Steve. You promised." Aurora said, stepping off the elevator blindly. Tony pushed past her, careful to avoid her wings and lead them down the concrete hallway. Aurora felt her memories try and rear its ugly head, taunting her with flashes of the Hydra base she once called home.

"Aurora?" Sam's voice called through the dark, making her realise she stopped dead and had flared her wings out. Sam stood behind her, Steve beside him.

"Tell me." He asked, making her snap her wings shut. She wrapped her arms round herself and started walking again.

"Hydra flashback. They still happen. Things I would rather forget. Like the spilt orange juice and the blood on the omelettes. I… I caused that. I caused that young girl to loose her father. She wasn't even 7!" Aurora choked out, remembering considering the girl as a nessacery lose so the Winter could kill the father. But she had stopped him the last moment.

"Birdie, it's going to be hard. I won't lie to you. Fashbacks are hard and in your case, very dark. But you are becoming Aurora. You have left Broken behind. She isn't around as much now. We are working towards Aurora. To what you want." Sam stepped next to her and took her hand, directing Steve to do the same. Grounding her. Letting her know they would not leave.

"Okay, I'm ready." She smiled weakly, making the two soldiers squeeze her hands and walk with her to the holding cell. Steve stiffened as he watched his once best friend pace along the length of the room, ignoring the world. Aurora stepped closer to the two way mirror and placed her hand against it.

"мир, зима один." Aurora breathed, the words rolling off her tongue naturally, as if she had spoken it too him forever. Bucky's head snapped up as he stopped pacing. He looked towards them, as if he heard the words and walked towards the glass. His metal hand lifted and pressed gently against the glass, in line with Aurora's.

"привет, сломанный." He replied, making Aurora smile slightly and pressed her other hand against the glass, watching as Bucky lifted his other hand.

"Dancing with death again?" Tony asked, making Bucky pull away and glare darkly at the glass before backing away. Aurora glared as well, her body stiff as Tony opened the door for her.

"Since he knows you better than Cap, how about you go talk to him?" Tony said, waving a hand towards the room. Aurora straightened and walked past Tony, her wings tight against her back again. She stood near the steel door to the cell and waited as it slid open for her and shut behind her when she entered.

"ангел." Bucky said, looking at her, his eyes calm as his shoulders seemed to relax.

"Just Aurora now, зима." Aurora sat down, crossing her legs, watching as he sat down as well. He still watched the glass but focused on her.

"You are thinner, Winter." She commented, looking at his eyes. The purple black shadows around them suggested little to no sleep. He cracked a slight smile and shook his head.

"Not Winter. James. James Barnes. It is my name, right?" He asked quietly, making Aurora nod. She settled her wings gently, letting the muscles relax.

"Yes. Or to Steve, Bucky. But I will call you James." She smiled warmly, holding her hand out, palm facing him in their old greeting.

"I'd like that, Aurora." Bucky smiled, leaning forward to place his metal hand against her own, palms gently touching. Aurora felt the familiar tingle up her spine and giggled softly, wrapping her fingers through his own slightly, squeezing gently before pulling back. Bucky sat back and watched her.

"How much has changed?" Bucky asked, looking up at the glass again as if he heard something, his brow creasing.

"A lot since then. My wing healed, as it always does. But it still hurt, James." Aurora sighed, making him look at her again.

"I should have remembered you. This is the third time I have broken them, isn't it?" Bucky spoke quietly, making her nod.

"Yes, but you were running. And I gave chase. You forgot how I looked every time they wiped you. But you always seemed to accept our greeting." She smiled softly, looking down at her hands.

"I remember when you first came up with that. Before we went undercover, correct? When you wanted to feel safe around this." Bucky said, gesturing to his arm. Aurora smiled and stood.

"Do you still remember? I know they trained us to be robotic with it, but you do remember the steps right?" She asked, watching as he stood. Bucky shook his head and looked around, taking in the glass again.

"No, the last wipe… wiped everything. Until the man on the bridge… No, Steve. Steve was on the bridge." He snapped at himself, flinching when Aurora placed her hand on his flesh forearm.

"It was Steve. He's still here to save you, James. But first, I want to see if this memory is still there. From Oslo, remember? You steered me away from the main party and sat me on a corner stool." She spoke gently, using everything Sam had used on her on James. She lifted his flesh hand and placed it on her hip, taking his metal hand.

"Oslo… They were trying to get you to drink. Trying to distract you because they recognised you. The music was so different… It wasn't like back home… Here, right? In Brooklyn?" Bucky said, looking at her and tilting his head slightly. Aurora just smiled and began to lead him in the musicless waltz. She felt him take the lead after a few moments and smiled as she passed the glass.

"Yes, you grew up here. With Steve. And kept him out of trouble." "I remember. He was so small. So skinny. Yet now…" The waltz stopped and Bucky pulled away.

"Now, he isn't. He is strong. Finally able to use his heart like he tried to back home." Bucky muttered, as Aurora smiled.

"Yes, he is strong. But it's still Steve, James. What happened when you went away?" She asked, finally relaxed enough to breach the question. Bucky stiffened slightly and smirked, his blue eyes hardening.

"I went back and destroyed it all. Every last shred of that damned place. Shot every rat that tried to escape." Bucky said, the Winter One slipping back into his tone, making Aurora stiffen but force herself to relax.

"Did you find yourself? Find James Barnes?" She asked, watching as he seemed to snap out of the trance and nod.

"Yes, I found James Barnes. But not Bucky. I was just so tired. So tired of not understanding who Bucky was. I came here, hoping to finally rest. To really rest." Bucky said, looking up at her. Aurora stepped closer and wrapped her arms round his chest gently.

"Then let us warriors finally rest. Come home, James. Come rest with me and Steve. Let it all just be lifted away and rest." She placed her head against his sternum, waiting for the eventual snap. But when a gently arm wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed gently, she knew deep in her soul that the Winter One was contained. That James and Bucky was here to stay. And she just held onto the tired soul she had finally saved.

"Bucky?" A voice asked from the door, making the two ex Hydra toys pull apart. Steve stood in the now open doorway, hope barely concealed in his eyes. Aurora smiled and stepped away again, letting Bucky make the choice. He nodded slightly and Steve rushed in, sweeping his friend up in an almost desperate hug, tears forming slightly.

"I missed you too, Stevie." Bucky mumbled, wrapping his flesh arm around Steve's shoulders and looking down on his friend, who had ducked so he could rest his arms fully round Bucky's chest. Aurora stepped out and let the friends have their moment, looking down at her right hand, rembering how cold that metal had been as it dragged her off the dancefloor and to the seat.

Steve and Bucky

"You really did take all the stupid with you, Buck." Steve said, finally letting Bucky go and rubbing his eyes. Bucky shrugged slightly and looked back to Aurora's back, taking in the fragile wings.

"She doesn't remember, does she?" He asked, watching as she adjusted her wings. He remembered how soft they had felt against his forearm and wondered why she had let him crush them so many times.

"Remember what, Buck?" Steve asked at his side, looking at him. Bucky looked over at Steve and still saw the bloody and bruised mess he had left on the riverbank. He flinched as memories meshed together, skinny Steve and new Steve and the Steve he had beaten to a pulp all in the name of lies and blind hate.

"To hide them. She used to be able to. There was only a tattoo to hide instead of wings." Bucky explained, remembering the first time he had seen it. It was more than a tattoo but less than her actual wings. And an easy marking for potential assassins.

"I don't think so. But she hasn't been very open with many of her talents." Steve chuckled softly, making Aurora look back and smile slightly. Bucky felt himself smile back, watching as Steve walked over to her and she looked up at him, smile never fading. Steve squeezed her forearm gently, saying something that made her giggle. Bucky stepped closer, wanting to hear what they were talking about.

"No, it's one of the few things I can't remember. But there is one thing I do remember since my last shut down." Aurora said, turning to face him. Bucky froze, his eyes going to the soft glow that surrounded her right hand, the memory foggy but the flame like glow looked familiar.

"What are you going to do?" He asked, stepping back slightly, making her stop. Aurora lifted her hand, holding it out to him.

"I remember being used to heal your wounds faster. That was really the only time besides Oslo that they allowed me so close. Thought that I would make you soft." She spoke gently, the glow fading as she reached for the flesh hand. She squeezed it gently as the glow returned. Bucky felt the warmth spread up his arm and concentrate on the pitiful stitching job he had done to the cut on his shoulder. The warmth spread again, easing the dull throb from the bruises and the exhaustion faded to a more manageable level. Aurora let his hand go and smiled gently, making Steve squeeze her forearm again, making her turn and smile at him.

"I am good for more than just cooking now." "Always were, Birdie." Steve smiled back, ruffling her hair slightly before looking at Bucky.

"How about we get you cleaned up, Buck? And you come stay with me and Aurora. You will love this apartment I have here, Bucky, it's so warm and the shower always works and when Aurora opened the windows to go flying, you can still smell our home. The docks, everything." Steve smiled brightly, making Aurora laugh and shake her head.

"Little kid Steve Rogers. An interesting sight to my eyes." Aurora smirked, before walking towards the door and pausing, her face turning sour. Bucky moved slightly and felt his shoulders stiffen when his eyes settled on the man in the iron suit.

"Mr Stark." Aurora greeted, her teeth clenched. Bucky knew her jaw must have been aching but her eyes were strange. Afraid yet angry.

"Broken, he needs to remain here. He is too volatile to be let out." "And I could say the same about you. Steve and I can handle him. Идиот." Aurora swore softly, making Bucky chuckle and move closer, making Mr Stark flinch and glare at him.

"It's okay, Aurora. If Mr Stark cannot trust me, I will be fine to break out of his pretty little prison and show him the strength in this arm." Bucky smirked darkly, placing his hand on her shoulder gently. Aurora looked up at him, startled at the almost gentle touch but mentally flinched when she saw the darkness in those blue eyes.

"Easy, Buck." Steve warned, gripping on his friend's flesh shoulder gently as Tony eyed them. Aurora pulled away from Bucky, smiling slightly back at him before turning to face Tony.

"He will be fine with us. Steve and I are his friends. His allies. He needs us." Aurora said, stepping as close as she dared, staring up at Tony, defying him in her own way.

"Fine. But he stays on your level. And you will be held responsible if he hurts anyone." Tony growled, turning and walking away. Aurora felt her wings sag and let out a breath she had not realised she had been holding. Someone squeezed her forearm, making her look up to Steve.

"Let's just go home." He smiled, before looking back at Bucky, who nodded and fell into step beside him as Aurora led the way out.

**SSHoshi here again. God, either I am losing my mind or so happy that I can write this sort of Fiction. Either way, some RnR would be nice, Fans!**


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